The Courage to Be Your True Self marching into the new year with bravery

"Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful: yourself." ~ Alan Alda, Actor

This quote found its way into my inbox today. The same day one of my sisters is leaving for Africa, the cradle of civilization. This was on her bucket list. On her journey she will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa at 19,341 feet above sea level. She is blogging it here: http://ginaking.com/ so we can all live vicariously through her.

Needless to say, I am very proud that she has the courage to follow her dream and be her own person. I might add, I also feel inspired and I hope you do too. Inside all of us resides a dreamer; the person who has wild and vivid dreams of what could be and sees no obstacles to achieving it. This is your true self, your “self” without limitations.

In the new year to come I encourage each of you as I encourage myself to move around, above or through whatever self-imposed restrictions you may see blocking your way to living your dreams and being your true self.

The dreams you choose to believe in come to be. When you feel in your innermost being that you will achieve what you set out to do, you open the way for miracles.

Choose to believe something good can happen. Expecting it to happen energizes your goal and actually gives it momentum. What you expect to happen, happens.

If you expect to succeed, you'll succeed.

Copyright 2010 www.yourdailymotivation.com

YOUR BODY Lose Weight, Keep It Off slower is better and here's why

The battle to lose excess inches and pounds of unwanted body fat is a common one. An estimated ten million Americans are currently on some form of weight-reduction program. Unfortunately, the success rate for any diet is ultimately an abysmally low eight percent. What's wrong? Plenty. We jump from one diet to the next; we expect instant results; we have unrealistic expectations. The good news is that with patience and determination, it's not that difficult to lose weight and keep it off. The key principles are:

Set reachable goals. Losing three to five pounds per month is the maximum you should aim for. Taking weight off at this conservative rate means that the weight is much more likely to stay off.

Exercise. There's just no way around it. If you want your diet to work, you're going to have to do some work, too. You could easily lose three to five pounds per month by cutting back slightly on what you eat while burning an extra two hundred calories each day in some form of physical activity. That's about a half-hour doing a brisk walk or a session on your stairclimber or treadmill.

Eat a balanced diet. Balance your meals from among the five food groups - these are fruit, vegetable, grain, dairy, and meat. Don't try to cut corners by skipping meals. Instead, plan your menu so you get three balanced meals each day that are low in fat and calories. As a general guideline, reduce the total amount of fat in your diet to no more than 30 percent of total calories consumed daily. Caution: some low- and no-fat foods are high in carbohydrates. Carbos have a way of adding up quickly - especially when you're scarfing down fat-free baked goods. Wherever possible, check the nutrition labels of the foods you consume.

Exercise some more. Half an hour three days per week is the minimum time recommended for exercise. But more is definitely better. A recent study from Brown University found that 2,500 people who lost an average of 60 pounds - and kept it off for a year - did so by exercising for about an hour per session.

Stick with it. Even if you don't seem to be making progress at first, keep working out for at least one half-hour a day. You may not be able to achieve your ideal body weight initially, but you can achieve an optimal level of fitness, which has many health benefits. And remember, more important than your performance on any given day is your stick-to-it-iveness. The key to obtaining these health benefits lies in the consistency - not the intensity - of the exercise.

Set a simple target. Your goal for weight loss should be to burn a minimum of 1,500 calories a week. Do it while exercising at your own pace and duration. And remember, when it comes to weight loss, slow and steady is the way to go. Be patient with yourself and the changes you're making in your life. Over a period of months, you will not only feel better, but look better, too.

Drinking 64 ounces of water everyday can help weight loss as well. What I suggest is adding the juice of half a lemon to 32 ounces of water with a sprinkle of Steviva Brand Stevia Powder . Aside from being less than 2 carbs, you will get the health benefits that the stevia provides along with the vitamin C and electrolytes that lemon have. You can substitute limes for lemons if you get bored. Click here to order stevia powder.

This information and other information is intended for general reference purposes only and is not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.

YOUR SPIRIT Discovering the Little Things that Make Us Happy

Life is full of little wonders that can make us happy. The sound of a baby’s laughter, a good book, the comforting smell of a favorite old sweatshirt, and the warmth from a cup of hot tea are simple pleasures that can easily put smiles on our faces. These “little things” are easily accessible to us and can be sources for experiencing happiness. A key to doing so is taking the time to put those rose colored glasses from childhood back on so you can easily find the joy in all the “little things” that life has to offer.

Finding a puppy rummaging through the laundry basket, trying on that perfect shade of lipstick, or discovering the extra change you left in your back pocket can turn into moments of delight. Like kids digging in the sandbox for buried trinkets, we may even begin to experience happiness when we engage in the seemingly mundane. Figuring out a software program can feel like deciphering a treasure map, and that first sip of tea in the morning can taste like a forbidden delicacy. Swaying to music playing on the radio can turn into an interpretive jig, riding a bike can seem like flying to the moon, and getting a phone call from that special someone can feel like winning the lottery. A pickup game of basketball becomes an exciting match among champions, and observing an elderly couple walking hand in hand can turn into a meditation on peace and contentment.

When we begin rediscovering that the little things in life can make us happy, we naturally want to share this joy with others. We may gush over a friend when we run into them unexpectedly, praise a street musician for their talents, or blow bubbles for the neighborhood kids to chase. We may even start to think of the little things we can do to make other people happy, which in turn makes us happy all over again. There is an endless supply of little things and little moments that can make us happy. All we have to do is look for them, and they’ll magically start to appear.

Holiday parties can be a hoot. However, you may not want to be "that guy". You know who I am talking about; the guy with his pants down and his butt on the photocopier. You can still have fun over the holidays without getting hammered. Here's an awesome mocktail recipe that is truly delicious but, without all the sugar and alcohol that will put weight around your middle and leave you with a throbbing headache the next day.

Instructions:At least 4 hours and up to 3 days before making the drink, bring the Fructevia, Steviva Brand Stevia Blend or a tiny dash Steviva Brand Stevia Powder and water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sweetener has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to a 1-quart container.

Halve, core, and cut the apple into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Place the apple slices in the lime syrup and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate until the apple flavor infuses the syrup, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

When ready to serve, strain the mixture through a mesh strainer set over a small pitcher; reserve the apple slices for the garnish.

Fill a 10-ounce collins glass with ice, add 3 ounces of the syrup, top with 5 ounces of the club soda, and stir gently with a long spoon or straw.

Garnish with a lime wedge and a few reserved apple slices. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 6 drinks.

If you simply can not refrain from alcohol you can add a 1 ounce shot of vodka.

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